Wend your way through history. Turn. Wander. See http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=wend&searchmode=none
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The Wends were a large tribe, Slavic, in Northern Europe. Harald Bluetooth married a Wend. Forts were built to protect against them in their pirating years. Ironically, Harald Bluetooth taught them the pirating arts. Korsor, in Denmark, then needed its fortress against them. Beset on all sides, the Wends held their own. We read time and again of the need for Danes to protect against attacking Wends. Defense was an early reason for the building of the fortress tower at Korsor, although its location would be strategic against any attackers and for promoting commerce. And Wends ultimately, in 1854, migrated to Texas from their lands in Lusatia, in Germany, along the River Spree, so it is said. See http://texaswendish.org/BriefHistory.aspx
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I. Korsor
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Korsor, on the west coast of Zealand, was a large port on the Great Belt, the waterway between the large island of Zealand and the smaller island of Funen, or Fyn. There is a huge bridge now spanning the Great Belt. See the Storebaeltsbroen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKzqKCl1_l4 &
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Come to Korsor off the main road to see the ruin of its 12th Century castle, and a later 14th Century tower still standing, with walls. For businesspeople, come to enjoy a convenient central location for conventions, business meetings at efficient hotels, see http://www.mapsofworld.com/denmark/denmark-cities/korsor.html. The square is quiet, nice pubs. Not touristy at all. Sit and enjoy.
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Our interest is in origins, and why the Wends are a focal point in early Denmark and Northern Germany, and elsewhere. Find Wends in in Slovenia, see http://sloveniaroadways.blogspot.com/2007/10/ljubljana-peasant-uprising-1515-world.html ; and the lost kingdom known as Carantania there, the Wends, http://sloveniaroadways.blogspot.com/2008/06/expunged-ancient-dynasty-of-carantania.html; More modern history is back at http://www.wendishheritage.org.au/wends/history.php
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Wends were a western slavic tribe, also known as Lusatians, or Sorbs. They were active in European history from 518 to 1218 ACE and resisted Christianity with a vengeance. They were also a more pastoral people, originally, known for their hospitality. The Carantanian Law, Slavica Lex, would have been part their heritage, although whether it survived in those who migrated north is not clear. Female succession in particular would be a matter that infuriated the Roman Catholic Institution because of the status of woman as equals in government and family. Female succession was provided for, see http://www.theslovenian.com/articles/savli.htm
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The Roman Empire of the Church attacked them with a vengeance. Convert them, and any other tribe that would not bow, by fire and sword, or death.
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Germany: Charlemagne, a Frank, pushed them into the Saxons, Thuringians, Flemish and other Franks, and the Wends could not prevail. These names do get familiar over time. Many Wends were enslaved, their lands colonized. Meanwhile, others learned to invade as well, and in 983, Wendish King Mistivoj invaded Brandenburg, Holstein, and burned Hamburg. Frankish Emperor Otto was distracted by Saracens in Italy at the time, leaving an opening.
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Denmark: Harald Bluetooth's wife was a Wend. Harald, says http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/III1a.html. He taught the Wends to be sea pirates, and they learned well. The Baltic became a Wendish battleground. When he was thrown off his throne by Karl Hakon in 985 ACE, he sought refuge among Wends. Harald's son, Svein Forkbeard, joined with the Wends and set up the Joms-Vikings garrison, a kind of warrior cult like Templars. Very fierce. By 1000, there were "hordes" of Wends aiming up Jutland, see Denmark section at http://cnx.org/content/m17870/latest/
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By 1043, however, the then Scandinavian King Olof had beaten the Joms-Vikings garrison; and Danish and other by-then-Christian armies took on the Wends, slaughtering them: 15,000 dead, said Adam of Bremen. See fanaticus site. Soon the Wends' access to the sea was cut off, and their power diminished.
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Rome: Enter Saint Bernard in 1147. Bernard of Clairvaux. He wanted to drum up business for the crusades to retake Jerusalem, but the newly-Christianized Saxons and Danes preferred to get the pagans in their own back yard, the Wends; and their lands. See http://www.military-history.us/2011/02/the-wendish-crusade
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Said Bernard, according to The Wendish Crusade, fight the pagans until they are converted or deleted. The "Crusade" went on until about 1185, a longer period than other sites suggest.
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Germany: Henry the Lion of Saxony (as well as Albert the Bear of Brandenburg) set out and see what happened - go quick to Luneberg Germany: http://germanyroadways.blogspot.com/2011/03/luneberg-and-german-exceptionalism.html. Lune -Moonberg. Are those Wends lined up? They aimed to convert the Wends by the sword, a popular pastime, see http://www.military-history.us/2011/02/the-wendish-crusade. See Charlemagne at it, in his earlier time attacking pagan Saxons at Verden, Sachsenhain, Saxon's Grove Tribes knew what could happen.
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B. Wend Culture, Religion (not one group, but many, so generalization does not fit all)

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Belief in dualism was and is common still. Even Christianity still has a hard time arguing that there is not good and evil, both. And that the two struggle for dominance. Earlier manifestations of the Wends' religious beliefs, however, included other gods, festivals, and some persist today. Fair use from wendishheritage:

"Alfons Frencl, a well known Sorb writer, has also drawn attention to the famous Lusatian Waterman and to the Black Miller and Magician Krabat." Lusatian Waterman? The Black Miller? The Magician Krabat? Quick! Find them!

The Wends overall believed in two main groups of gods, one for good, producing wealth, represented by Bogu; and one for evil (so far so good), producing bad times, and coincidentally black, and represented by and named Zernabog.
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The Wend god name is also found as Chernobog or Black God, also seen in Disney's Fantasia, at http://www.antimoon.com/forum/2002/432.htm. See him at the Night at Bald Mountain section, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ca_edg6RE. Still, how did that black color identification with evil start?
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Dauva is also the name given to the evil side. Our Slavic Origins at http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/spirit/chap2.htm. Gradually the dualism fell away, as did the common language understood to have bound them until the migrations about 500 AD. Are the Wends part of the Magyars? Have to check. The Slavic Origins site is detailed.
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Bogu, see Slavic Origins. Bogeyman? No. This site identifies the Bogeyman with the Bogomils, "Lovers of God," another dualistic group, many in Bosnia, rising in power in about 950 CE, see http://mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/misc/europe.htm, then were subject to Papal crusades to kill them as heretics. But Bogu was good. Still, a powerful being.
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They also believed in life after death, and in egalitarian principles of government, like democracy rather than a king or queen. As to dualism, the fanaticism of the Roman Catholic Church against the Wends in particular could have been connected to the fact that the early Christian institutional faith labeled any early Christian theologian as heretic for belief in dualism, or gnosticism. The idea of dualism now in the Wendish community must have been infuriating. Also the Crusade against the Cathars, more gnostics, the Albigensian Crusades of 1209-1255 came soon after. Compare the similarity of the status of women among the Cathars, with that of the Slavonica Lex, Carantanian Law, see http://www.theslovenian.com/articles/savli.htm
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963 Otto the Great invades Lusatia and the Wends, appoints a governor, the German Margrave Ekhard
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965. Harald Bluetooth married a Wend. See http://www.fanaticus.org/DBA/armies/III1a.html . Harald taught the Wends to be sea pirates, and they learned well. The Baltic became a Wendish battleground. The Baltic had been known as the Wendish Sea.
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983, Wendish King Mistivoj invaded Brandenburg, Holstein, and burned Hamburg. Frankish Emperor Otto was distracted by Saracens in Italy at the time, leaving an opening.
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985 ACE, Harald Bluetooth was thrown off the throne by Karl Hakon and sought refuge among Wends. Harald's son, Svein Forkbeard, joined with the Wends and set up the Joms-Vikings garrison, a kind of warrior cult like Templars. Very fierce.
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990 The Milceni (Wend group) were finally beaten by Margrave Ekhard, who earlier had invited sme 30 Sorbian princes to a banquet, then murdered them. Lusatians, says wendishheritage.org, have never regained autonomy.
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1002 Polish King Boleslaw invades Lusatia, forces unification with Wends, lasts to 1032.
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1020-1040 Other Wends invade Southern Sweden, and Denmark. German tribes force conversion on Wends by sword, fire, then forced taxes on them. Cultural animus deepens. http://www.wendishheritage.org.au/wends/history.php
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1032 German King forces Polish King to surrender Lusatia and the Wends are subjugated further.
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1043 ACE Scandinavian King Olof won at the Joms-Vikings garrison; and Danish and other by-then-Christian armies took on the Wends as well, slaughtering them: 15,000 dead, said Adam of Bremen. See fanaticus site.
Soon the Wends' access to the sea was cut off, and their power diminished.
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Enter Saint Bernard. (Why are these killer people called saints?) After the Great Schism in 1054, Roman Church separated from the Eastern Orthodox, the institution need converts, money, territory. He drummed up business for the crusades to retake Jerusalem.

But the Wends were a good target for the newly-Christianized Saxons and Danes in their own back yard. Why kill the Wends? Because they did not bow to Christianity.
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Henry the Lion of Saxony (as well as Albert the Bear of Brandenburg) set out to do his crusade against them. See what happened - go quick to Luneberg Germany: http://germanyroadways.blogspot.com/2011/03/luneberg-and-german-exceptionalism.html. Lune -Moonberg. Are those Wends who are lined up there?
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1147 - 1177 ACE. Northern Crusade Against the Wends. The Wendic Crusade. Henry and Albert aimed to convert the Wends by the sword, a popular pastime, but this Crusade took 30 years. Joined by then-Christian Saxons, Danes, and Poles, the multi-deist ways were cast aside and the Wends defeated.
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1185 Wends now dominated by Poles.
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1360 Germany annexes Lusatia, remaining lands of the Wends
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And on, but little identifiable appears to remain.
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1850's Wends from the Spree River area in Germany migrated to Texas. See http://wendish.concordia.edu/
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Look at the slideshow of woodcuts and illustrations at this texaswendish site, and find Phrygian Caps - origins, and in the very old days of Rome, a slave history, http://texaswendish.org/ImageGallery.aspx. For Phrygian caps, also known later in the French Revolution and American Revolutions as the Liberty Cap (from servitude to freedom), see http://joyofequivocating.blogspot.com/2008/05/proud-hat-hair-phrygian-cap-to-supplant.html
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Even James Joyce wends wend into his stream of consciousness, see http://www.trentu.ca/faculty/jjoyce/fw-580.htmSee the wendishheritage site for events to date. We could use the female succession, dignity for women, warfare carried on only as needed, given outside pressures -- just think. Earliest graves in ancient times, no weapons. Were they even vegetarian? Some sites suggest so. Or was that just as required by the environment of the time. Wend your way back and find out.
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Pushed on all sides, they pushed back. Is that so?

1 comment:

View from Sonderborg Castle

Sonderborg is off the usual tourist track: Jutland, but far out the southeastern peninsula. It is an ancient site, naval and land battles; its castle has been used, and redesigned and refurbished through the Renaissance and 19th Centuries.

Waiting, Kronborg, Zealand DK

Holger Danske, or Ogier the Dane, by H.G.Pedersen-Dan (we believe), this near knoll known as Hamlet's Grave